U.K. PM Starmer faces possible parliament probe over Mandelson

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer leaves 10 Downing Street in London, Monday, April 20, 2026 to face a showdown in Parliament over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington.

British lawmakers will vote on whether embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer should face a parliamentary probe over the Peter Mandelson scandal, the House of Commons speaker announced on Monday.

Members of Parliament will debate on Tuesday whether to refer Starmer to a committee to consider if he misled parliament over the appointment of the former associate of the late convicted US sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein, Lindsay Hoyle said.

It is the latest development in an unrelenting scandal that has plagued Starmer’s government for months and led to calls for him to resign.

Hoyle added that his decision followed requests from “numerous” lawmakers, including opposition Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch, Hoyle added.

Badenoch has accused Starmer of misleading lawmakers by insisting “due process” was followed ahead of the 2024 appointment of Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the United States despite having failed his security vetting.

Starmer has sacked the most senior civil servant in the foreign ministry for not telling him or other ministers that Mandelson had not passed the checks.

He has also denied claims that his office applied pressure on the foreign ministry to approve the appointment.

Starmer commands a large majority in the lower house of parliament, meaning that lots of MPs from his ruling Labour party would have to vote for an inquiry for one to be launched.

Speaking to Sky News late on Monday, the prime minister branded the move “a stunt”.

“We’ve got huge amounts of transparency going on already,” Starmer insisted.

The Privileges Committee was responsible for former prime minister Boris Johnson’s exit from frontline politics after it investigated him for misleading parliament over the so-called “partygate” breaches of Covid-19 laws.

He quit as an MP in 2023 before the committee published a report recommending his suspension.

Starmer sacked Mandelson in September 2025 after a fresh batch of revelations over the latter’s friendship with Epstein came to light.

U.K. police are currently investigating Mandelson over allegations he committed misconduct in office while serving as a Labour minister more than a decade ago by leaking information to the late disgraced financier.